Watching — or even hearing about — another vampire-centric series can be a tad nauseating. Thanks to the inundation of shows like The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Being Human, Penny Dreadful, The Originals, etc, it’s difficult to distinguish quality supernatural storytelling from run-of-the-mill blood-sucking fare. Robert Rodriguez‘s televised re-vamp of his own tale, however, is in a category all its own. From Dusk Till Dawn deserves your undivided attention.

Like the 1996 Rodriguez-Quentin Tarantino flick of the same name, the TV version of the duo’s vampire Western is just as stylish, equally as bloody, and much sexier (and yes, we’re well aware George Clooney and Salma Hayek starred in the original, thankyouverymuch). Starring D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Wilmer Valderrama, and Eiza González as Santánico Pandemonium, From Dusk Till Dawn offers a more twisted exploration of the tale of the Gecko Brothers: two violent criminals on the run from a vengeful Texas ranger and a vampire queen with a scheme. At ATX Television Festival in Austin, we got the chance to talk to the cast about the upcoming season (out this August!) and why you should make time to catch up on Netflix ASAP.

D.J. Cotrona could be the next big thing.

Photo: El Rey Network/Everett Collection

Sure, he’s easy on the eyes as Seth Gecko, the yin to brother Richie’s (Zane Holtz) yang. It’s Cotrona’s acting chops, however, that are going to propel him to stardom, especially if he’s already in with the Rodriguez-Tarantino clan. Never before on this grand a scale has Cotrona been able to show off his acting skills while also playing up his onscreen bad-boy persona. At ATX, the actor spoke to Decider about what its like working with Robert Rodriguez and joining a series with an already established fan base:

I think the characters are bigger stars than the actors these days. That’s why we see characters are sustained properties while the actors keep switching out and taking over. We see it a lot in superhero movies. Same with the film that Robert and Quentin made. You know, I’m not working with another director who wants to do an impression or his take on it — I’m working with Robert. He cast the original cast, he made the original movie so when he called me and said, ‘I want you to come do this with me,’ I have nothing but trust for him. I’m just lucky to get to work with a guy like him and get to play a character I love so much. So it’s up to the fans to pick the parts that they like and the ones they don’t.

Wilmer Valderrama gives us a taste of his dark side.

Photo: El Rey Network/Everett Collection

Valderrama is having quite the year between Spike Lee-backed crime thriller The Girl Is in Trouble and the success of From Dusk Till Dawn. The actor, most famous for the role of Fez on That ’70s Show, opened up about wanting audiences to see a more complex side of him with the recent projects he’s chosen:

A couple of years ago I decided I was going to take a nice little break from the camera and start producing and directing a couple of things. I had a blast doing that and then you know, once a performer, always a performer. I started looking for awesome, interesting characters that I haven’t done before and I was really, really blessed that The Girl Is in Trouble came along; and Spike Lee and the director, Julius Onah, gave me the opportunity to play something nobody has seen me play before. Then from there on, the journey started. I tried to figure out what else I wanted to do. Robert Rodriguez is one of my mentors and is a friend of mine now. But before he became a friend and a mentor he was an idol of mine and an icon and continues to be. So I always wanted to be part of that universe that he has created since I was fourteen years old when he did From Dusk Till Dawn.

Eiza González breathes new life into a 500-year-old character.

Photo: El Rey Network/Everett Collection

On crafting the character of a 500-year-old vampire queen, Mexican actress Eiza Gonzalez couldn’t be more ecstatic. Rodriguez’s latest muse clued us in on what we can expect from ruthless vamp Santánico Pandemonium:

Her character has this beautiful soul. This vampire queen… Just a very interesting, very three-dimensional character. Robert said his favorite character in the original was [Santánico Pandemonium] so he was really excited to develop this character that he loves so much in Season Two. It was so endearing for him. I think this season has been beautifully made. It’s grown so much and really expanded from Season One. People get to see more heists, they get to see Richie coming into this new world and becoming a vampire himself, and then Santánico having to lead a lot of characters. You’ll get to see Santánico’s struggle throughout the years — it’s the outline of the whole season. She has a goal for what she wants, where she’s going, and she’s recruiting people to help her. People are going to love it, especially those who like badass women roles. The character has gone from being a sexy dancer to this humungous badass… I think in the world of From Dusk Till Dawn there’s no good, just bad and worse. Everyone is looking over their shoulder to see who’s going to betray who, so you’re always on edge.

It's bloody, gritty, sexy fun.

Photo: El Rey Network/Everett Collection

The eye-candy cast, the grueling plot, and having the outskirts of Austin as its backdrop make for a blend of an intense hour of television to say the least. While Rodriguez has brought his original story to a smaller screen, he hasn’t skimped on budget or action: every episode feels like a feature film but is darkly funny enough to make you want to keep bingeing.

Robert Rodriguez has complete creative control — and it's awesome.

Photo: Jack Plunkett for ATX

From what we could tell at ATX, Rodriguez is like a god to the people of Austin after developing his network El Rey in the area and keeping production local. Unlike recent film to television adaptations like 12 Monkeys, Rodriguez has made a point to keep the authenticity of his original film in carrying it over to the small screen. As with everything Rodriguez’s touches, you can expect highly-stylized shootouts, artfully splattered blood, and hazy frames filled with beautiful people playing hyper-violent beings.

Season Two of From Dusk Till Dawn premieres on August 25 at 9 on El Rey Network. We’ll let you know when it’s coming to streaming, but in the meantime, you can catch up with Season One on Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.